Embodiments describe optical imagers that include one or more micro-optic components. Some imagers can be passive imagers that include a light detection system for receiving ambient light from a field. Some imagers can be active imagers that include a light emission system in addition to the light detection system. The light emission system can be configured to emit light into the field such that emitted light is reflected off surfaces of an object in the field and received by the light detection system. In some embodiments, the light detection system and/or the light emission system includes micro-optic components for improving operational performance.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An optical system for performing distance measurements, the optical system comprising: a bulk receiver optic; an aperture layer including a plurality of apertures arranged along a focal plane of the bulk receiver optic; a first lens layer including a first plurality of lenses; an optical filter layer configured to receive light after it passes through the bulk receiver optic and pass a band of radiation while blocking radiation outside the band; and a photosensor layer including a plurality of photosensors, wherein each photosensor includes a plurality of photodetectors configured to detect photons, and a second plurality of lenses configured to focus incident photons received at the photosensor on the plurality of photodetectors; wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of receiver channels with each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels including an aperture from the plurality of apertures, a lens from the plurality of first lenses, an optical filter from the optical filter layer, and a photosensor from the plurality of photosensors, with the aperture for each channel defining a discrete, non-overlapping field of view for its respective channel.
2. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 1 wherein, for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the plurality of photodetectors and the second plurality of lenses in the photosensor for that channel, and wherein each of the lenses in the second plurality of lenses is configured to focus photons on its corresponding lens in the second plurality of lenses.
3. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 2 wherein each lens in the second plurality of lenses is a converging lens having a common focal length.
4. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 3 wherein each lens in the second plurality of lenses is spaced apart from its respective photodetector by the common focal length.
5. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 1 wherein the optical filter layer is disposed between the first lens layer and the photosensor layer and the first lens layer is disposed between the aperture layer and the filter layer.
6. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 1 wherein for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, the optical filter comprises a first bandpass filter and a second wide spectrum blocking filter that are configured to prevent leakage in a transition region between the two filters.
7. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 1 further comprising an illumination source comprising a plurality of light emitters aligned to project discrete beams of light into a field ahead of the optical system.
8. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 1 wherein the lens for each receiver channel is configured to collimate light rays received through its corresponding aperture and to pass the collimated light rays into its corresponding photosensor.
9. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 1 wherein the lens for each receiver channel is a hemispherical substrate and the optical filter for each receiver channel is a filter layer on a curved surface of the lens.
10. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 1 wherein a sensing area of each photosensor in the plurality of receiver channels is larger than an area of its corresponding aperture in the plurality of apertures.
11. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 10 wherein the sensing area of each photosensor in the plurality of photosensors comprises a plurality of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs).
12. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 11 further comprising an illumination source including a plurality of light emitters aligned to project a plurality of discrete non-overlapping beams of light into a field ahead of the optical system, wherein each of the discrete beams of light corresponds to a field-of-view of one of the receiver channels.
13. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 12 wherein each light emitter in the plurality of light emitters comprises a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL).
14. An optical system for performing distance measurements, the optical system comprising: a bulk receiver optic; an aperture layer including a plurality of apertures; a first lens layer including a first plurality of lenses; an optical filter layer configured to receive light after it passes through the bulk receiver optic and pass a band of radiation while blocking radiation outside the band; and a photosensor layer including a plurality of photosensors, wherein each photosensor includes a plurality of photodetectors configured to detect photons, and a second plurality of lenses configured to focus incident photons received at the photosensor on the plurality of photodetectors; wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of receiver channels with each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels including an aperture from the plurality of apertures, a lens from the plurality of first lenses, an optical filter from the optical filter layer, and a photosensor from the plurality of photosensors, with the aperture for each channel defining a discrete, non-overlapping field of view for its respective channel; and wherein for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, the photosensor includes an optically non-transparent spacer positioned between the second plurality of lenses and the plurality of photodetectors in the photosensor.
15. An optical system for performing distance measurements, the optical system comprising: a bulk receiver optic; an aperture layer including a plurality of apertures; a first lens layer including a first plurality of lenses; an optical filter layer configured to receive light after it passes through the bulk receiver optic and pass a band of radiation while blocking radiation outside the band; and a photosensor layer including a plurality of photosensors, wherein each photosensor includes a plurality of photodetectors configured to detect photons, and a second plurality of lenses configured to focus incident photons received at the photosensor on the plurality of photodetectors; wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of receiver channels with each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels including an aperture from the plurality of apertures, a lens from the plurality of first lenses, an optical filter from the optical filter layer, and a photosensor from the plurality of photosensors, with the aperture for each channel defining a discrete, non-overlapping field of view for its respective channel; and wherein for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, the aperture layer includes an optically transparent substrate disposed between first and second optically non-transparent layers, the first optically non-transparent layer having a first aperture with a first diameter, the second optically non-transparent layer having a second aperture aligned with the first aperture and having a second diameter different than the first diameter.
16. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 15 wherein, for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, the lens layer includes an optical spacer positioned between the aperture and the lens from the first plurality of lenses in the receiver channel.
17. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 16 wherein, for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, the optical spacer comprises a tube of substantially similar diameter to the lens.
18. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 17 wherein, for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, the optical spacer includes walls comprising an optically non-transparent material.
19. An optical system for performing distance measurements, the optical system comprising: a light emission system comprising: a bulk transmitter optic; an illumination source comprising a plurality of light emitters aligned to project discrete beams of light through the bulk transmitter optic into a field ahead of the optical system; and a light detection system comprising: a bulk receiver optic; an aperture layer including a plurality of apertures; a first lens layer including a first plurality of lenses; an optical filter layer configured to receive light after it passes through the bulk receiver optic and pass a band of radiation while blocking radiation outside the band; a photosensor layer including a plurality of photosensors, wherein each photosensor includes a plurality of photodetectors configured to detect photons, and a second plurality of lenses configured to focus incident photons received at the photosensor on the plurality of photodetectors; wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of receiver channels with each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels including an aperture from the plurality of apertures, a lens from the plurality of first lenses, an optical filter from the optical filter layer, and a photosensor from the plurality of photosensors, with the aperture for each channel defining a discrete, non-overlapping field of view for its respective channel.
20. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 19 wherein, for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the plurality of photodetectors and the second plurality of lenses in the photosensor for that channel, and wherein each of the lenses in the second plurality of lenses is configured to focus photons on its corresponding lens in the second plurality of lenses.
21. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 20 wherein each lens in the second plurality of lenses is a converging lens having a common focal length.
22. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 19 wherein a sensing area of each photosensor in the plurality of receiver channels is larger than an area of its corresponding aperture in the plurality of apertures.
23. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 22 wherein the sensing area each photosensor in the plurality of photosensors comprises a plurality of SPADs.
24. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 19 wherein the plurality of apertures in the aperture layer are arranged along a focal plane of the bulk receiver optic.
25. An optical system for performing distance measurements, the optical system comprising: a stationary housing having an optically transparent window; a light ranging device disposed within the housing and aligned with the optically transparent window, the light ranging device comprising: a platform; an optical transmitter coupled to the platform, the optical transmitter comprising a bulk transmitter optic and a plurality of transmitter channels, each transmitter channel including a light emitter configured to generate and transmit a narrowband light through the bulk transmitter optic into a field external to the optical system; and an optical receiver coupled to the platform, the optical receiver comprising: a bulk receiver optic; an aperture layer including a plurality of apertures; a first lens layer including a first plurality of lenses; an optical filter layer configured to receive light after it passes through the bulk receiver optic and pass a band of radiation while blocking radiation outside the band; and a photosensor layer including a plurality of photosensors, wherein each photosensor includes a plurality of photodetectors configured to detect photons, and a second plurality of lenses configured to focus incident photons received at the photosensor on the plurality of photodetectors; wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of receiver channels with each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels including an aperture from the plurality of apertures, a lens from the plurality of first lenses, an optical filter from the optical filter layer, and a photosensor from the plurality of photosensors, with the aperture for each channel defining a discrete, non-overlapping field of view for its respective channel; a motor disposed within the housing and operatively coupled to spin the light ranging device including the platform, optical transmitter, and optical receiver within the housing; and a system controller disposed within the housing, the system controller configured to control the motor and to start and stop light detection operations of the light ranging device.
26. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 25 wherein, for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the plurality of photodetectors and the second plurality of lenses in the photosensor for that channel, and wherein each of the lenses in the second plurality of lenses is configured to focus photons on its corresponding lens in the second plurality of lenses.
27. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 26 wherein each lens in the second plurality of lenses is a converging lens having a common focal length.
28. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 25 wherein the plurality of apertures in the aperture layer are arranged along a focal plane of the bulk receiver optic.
29. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 25 wherein a sensing area of each photosensor in the plurality of receiver channels is larger than an area of its corresponding aperture in the plurality of apertures.
30. An optical system for performing distance measurements, the optical system comprising: a bulk receiver optic positioned to receive light from a field outside of the system; an optical assembly disposed behind the bulk receiver optic and including a plurality of receiver channels, the optical assembly comprising: an aperture layer including a plurality of apertures defining a plurality of non-overlapping fields of view; a top lens layer including a plurality of collimating lenses; a bottom lens layer including a plurality of lens arrays, each lens array in the plurality of lens arrays including a plurality of bottom lenses; an optical filter layer; and a plurality of pixels disposed behind the bottom lens layer, each pixel in the plurality of pixels including a plurality of photodetectors; wherein each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels includes an aperture from the plurality of apertures that defines a field of view for the receiver channel, a collimating lens from the plurality of collimating lenses that collimates light rays received through the aperture and passes the collimated light rays to the bottom lens layer, a lens array from the plurality of lens arrays in the bottom lens layer, a pixel from the plurality of pixels, and a filter element from the optical filter layer configured to allow a band of radiation to pass through the receiver channel while preventing radiation from outside the band from reaching the pixel in the receiver channel; and wherein, for each receiver channel in the plurality of receiver channels, each bottom lens in the lens array in the receiver channel corresponds to and is in an optical path of one of the photodetectors in the plurality of photodetectors of the pixel in the receiver channel.
31. The optical system set forth in claim 30 wherein the aperture layer is supported by a transparent substrate included in the optical assembly between the aperture layer and the top lens layer.
32. The optical system set forth in claim 31 wherein each receiver channel further comprises a first optically non-transparent tubular spacing structure surrounding an optical surface of the collimating lens in the receiver channel.
33. The optical system set forth in claim 32 wherein each receiver channel further comprises a second optically non-transparent tubular spacing structure surrounding optical surfaces of the lens array in the receiver channel.
34. The optical system set forth in claim 33 wherein the first and second optically non-transparent tubular structures comprise silicon.
35. The optical system set forth in claim 31 wherein the plurality of pixels are formed on an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and the bottom lens layer is formed directly over the monolithic ASIC.
36. The optical system set forth in claim 35 wherein, for each receiver channel, the plurality of photodetectors in the pixel for the receiver channel are separated from each other by inactive regions of the pixel and each lens in the bottom lens layer is configured to guide divergent light rays away from the inactive regions into its corresponding photodetector.
37. The optical system set forth in claim 35 wherein the optical assembly is a monolithic structure in which the aperture layer, the top lens layer, the optical filter layer and the bottom lens layer are bonded together with the ASIC.
38. The optical system for performing distance measurements set forth in claim 30 wherein the plurality of apertures in the aperture layer are arranged along a focal plane of the bulk receiver optic.
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May 14, 2018
August 10, 2021
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